Benjamin Watson Shares New Year Prayer; Hopes Americans Invite God to Change Their Hearts in 2015
Benjamin Watson has revealed his prayer for the new year, after a year filled with social unrest in the United States.
Watson, the 34-year-old New Orleans Saints' tight end, received national attention when his take on the fatal shooting of black teenager Michael Brown at the hands of a white police officer Darren Wilson went viral last year. In an essay posted to Facebook, Watson did not take only one side in the scenario that has caused national protesting.
Instead, he made it clear how the Gospel can help people on both sides of the debate of race relations in the country. Watson more recently decided to ring in the new year by sharing a prayer on Facebook.
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"New Year's Resolutions usually fizzle out after a few weeks because actions, no matter how well intentioned, will eventually reflect the condition of the heart. Ultimately, God is the one who can transform the hateful heart to one of love and respect for fellow man," Watson wrote in his message. "My prayer for 2015 is that we collectively, as Americans invite Him to change what we obviously cannot. And that we courageously carry out our role in closing a wound that simply refuses to heal."
While Watson used his Facebook post to speak about correcting issues in the context of football, he also approached the new year from other perspectives. The football player said his hope is that people can find and share their influence in order to change the world.
"My hope is that the reality check of 2014, springs us into a 2015 where we, like a defeated football team, discover OUR role in the change we want to take place. We all have a specific platform and sphere of influence," Watson wrote. "Maybe your role is to forgive. Maybe it's to ask for forgiveness. Maybe it's to be vocal and take a stand for truth."
He added, "Maybe it's to intentionally demonstrate to the next generation what it means to judge people by their character, not their skin."
The NFL player previously appeared on CNN where he was interviewed by journalist Brooke Baldwin about his take on race relations in America. In the satellite interview, Watson spoke about his Christian faith. However, he was cut off from the interview, which was replaced by a green screen after he proclaimed that Jesus Christ died for people's sins.
"The only way to really cure what's on the inside is understanding that Jesus Christ died for our sins," Watson told CNN's Baldwin before he was seemingly cut off.
